


Tainted Love

by bisexualparkers



Category: British Actor RPF, Real Person Fiction, Tom Holland (RPF), tom holland - Fandom
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Mild Language, Twins, i'll tag as i go because i'm not sure yet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 17:51:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19873657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisexualparkers/pseuds/bisexualparkers
Summary: Aurora Fischer never really got over the death of her sister, Isabella. Three years have passed since that fateful night, two of which she has spent doing everything she can to leave her old life behind. That’s proved to be something easier said than done but she’s finally starting to feel comfortable in her new life. She only hopes that it will last.Charlotte Andrews is doing her best to survive college. Getting her degree, paying off student loans, and going on dates with her boyfriend Zach are all she really cares about at the moment. Unfortunately for her, she’s got a few too many secrets, a worryingly large pile of past due bills, and a boyfriend that’s just a little bit apprehensive of commitment - so as a last resort she gets a roommate off Craigslist. To say that Tom Holland was the opposite of who she expected to move in is an understatement.Told through two perspectives, this is a story about two girls who are more connected than they’d think as they attempt to navigate love, loss, and lies.





	Tainted Love

Charlie always seemed to be running late.

It didn’t matter how much she tried to plan ahead or how early she started preparing for something, she always ended up running at least five minutes behind. It wasn’t her proudest habit, but it was one that seemed nearly unbreakable no matter how hard she tried.

Today was no exception, and as she frantically dashed through her apartment she found herself cursing her permanent tardiness even though nobody was there to listen. Any minute now, she would hear a knock at her door and the person she had been texting about renting her spare bedroom to would be standing on the other side. Normally this wouldn’t have been an issue but Charlie had been particularly stressed from school and work lately, and over the past week the apartment had become embarrassingly messy.

She raced through the apartment, scooping up discarded jackets and an assortment of crumpled jeans and bras that had been unceremoniously removed after coming home from work and promptly forgotten about. Arms overflowing, Charlie flung the offending articles into her bedroom and pulled the door shut behind her. Pulling an antique looking key from the pocket of her ripped jeans, she inserted into the lock and twisted it until she heard the satisfying click. She moved back through the apartment with a grace that would have appeared almost unsettling to anyone watching, this time collecting half full mugs and crumb filled plates. They balanced on one another in a tower of questionable stability, though the fear of broken dishes didn’t slow her pace. As she reached the sink and began putting everything in her dishwasher, the sound she had been dreading echoed through her apartment.

He was here.

Charlie shoved the remaining dishes in the dishwasher, wincing as they clattered noisily when she closed it. Swiping the cinnamon apple scented Febreeze from where it stood on her counter she sprayed it throughout the kitchen and began to mentally run through what she knew about the potential renter.

The two hadn’t been talking for very long, he had only just reached out about the bedroom two days ago, so her knowledge was fairly limited. Charlie did have a firm grasp of the basics though. His name was Harrison Osterfield, he was 22 just like her, and a British exchange student. She also knew that he was the fourth person to respond to her ad on Craigslist since she posted it three months ago, and the first one that didn’t seem like he would attempt to harvest her organs while she slept. Charlie also knew that because of her increasingly busy schedule that she was working less, and now more than ever really needed a roommate. At this point she was desperate, and knew going in that as long as he didn’t try to murder her during the tour, she was most likely going to offer him the room. He could be the worst roommate on Earth for all she cared, she just needed his money.

He knocked again, snapping her from her thoughts.

“I’m coming!” she shouted, running across the hardwood floors leaving a trail of cinnamon apple scented mist in her wake. Before opening it she stopped in front of the mirror that was propped against the wall on the tiny table in the entryway, running her hands through her short, platinum blonde hair in an attempt to make herself look a little less disheveled. Smoothing non-existent wrinkles from the black t-shirt she had tucked into her too ripped jeans, she took a deep breath and opened the door.

She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting to see on the other side of the door, but she knew that the boy in front of was the last person she ever thought she’d see on her doorstep. Brown eyes that mirrored hers softened as he broke out into an overly endearing grin. Charlie on the other hand was suddenly nauseous and felt as though the the ground itself was tilting and falling out from under her. Her left hand flew to the base of her throat, fiddling with the necklace that lay beneath the material of her shirt as she struggled to process what was going on.

Tom Holland was standing in her doorway.

“Hi, I’m Har-” He began to introduce himself, but was cut off by her suddenly finding her ability to speak again as the shock wore off.

“No you’re not,” she interrupted, her voice shaky from the nerves currently coursing through her body. He started to say something in response, but she couldn’t hear it over the ringing in her ears. And then Charlie did the only thing she could think of in that moment.

She slammed the door in his face.

She was mostly sure she hadn’t meant it an any sort of malicious way, she just needed a moment to collect her thoughts. She leaned against the door, using it as support as she tried to sort through the complete and utter confusion brought on by this turn of events. On the other side of the door stood Tom, equally perplexed by what had just happened. Tentatively, he raised his arm and knocked again.

Charlie knew that she should open the door, that every second that she stood there and didn’t respond would only raise more suspicions. Still, it felt as though her limbs were filled with lead and she couldn’t seem to bring her hand back to the handle.

“I’m here about the spare bedroom?” Tom called out when he was met with no response. Another couple moments passed as Charlie steeled herself against whatever was about to come, and prepared to but on the best act of her life. He was just about to call it a lost cause when she slowly pulled the door open again.

“You’re not Harrison.” It was all she said in lieu of a standard greeting, and it managed to throw Tom off for a moment. Suddenly the way she had acted before seemed to make a little more sense to him.

“Ah, shit,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair in a poor attempt to hide his annoyance. He had really been hoping that for once he wouldn’t be recognized. “Listen, I’ll take a picture and sign whatever you want, but is Charlie home? I’ve been texting him about leasing the spare room he’s got.”

Charlie resisted rolling her eyes at his response, instead forcing a teasing smile onto her face. “I hate to break it to you bud, but I’m Charlie. Also, it’s a bit narcissistic to assume that just because I know who you are that I’m obsessed with you, don’t you think?”

This truly threw Tom off his rhythm, the smile falling from his face as his too perfect features twisted into a mask of confusion. Charlie choked down a laugh as she felt like she could literally see the gears turning in his head as he worked to comprehend everything she said.

“What? No, Charlie is a boys name,” he argued, deliberately ignoring her jab at his ego.

“In most cases you’d be right. However, it’s also a fun nickname for Charlotte. Which is my name. Hence why I would be Charlie.”

“Oh.” The realization dawned on him and his cheeks began to warm from the embarrassment of the whole situation. “Uh, shit. Okay. I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize that - God you probably think I’m a huge asshole now. And an asshole that’s full of himself to boot.” He cut himself off once he realized he had begun to ramble.

“Don’t worry about it, happens more often than you’d think. Well, I suppose not more often than you’d think.” Charlie grinned, throwing him a conspiratorial wink. “Well,” she sighed, “this has been fun but I’ve got a busy day ahead of me so if you don’t mind…” she trailed off, beginning to slowly ease the door shut once again.

“Wait!” His hand flung out, stopping the door in its tracks. “Aren’t you gonna show me the bedroom?”

“Aren’t girls usually the ones asking you that?” Charlie quipped back, trying not to let the pleasure she felt at his exasperation show.

When he didn’t remove his hand from the door, she felt the pit in her stomach begin to return. “You’re serious?” she asked, incredulously.

“I mean that is what I came here for.”

“No.” She paused for a moment, before reiterating her point. “No, no definitely not. No way. I mean, what is a fancy pants movie star like you even doing answering roommate ads on Craigslist anyways?” Charlie began to slowly put more and more of her weight against the door, hoping he would take the hint and leave.

“What do you mean no?” He asked, refusing to lift his hand. “Don’t you need the money?”

“You didn’t answer my question” Charlie replied, locking eyes with him and forcing a smile back on her face.

“And you didn’t answer mine.”

“I asked first!” she cried.

“Fine.” Tom finally relented, he lifted his hand off the door and took a step back which caused Charlie to stumble forward slightly. “I’m going to be in town for the next year or so filming this really big project. Management offered to put me up in a hotel since I’d still be traveling for press tours and premieres here and there but I dunno,” he trailed off his hand coming to rest at the nape of his neck. “I kinda hate the way hotels never quite feel like home, and I hate being on my own, and I hate that I never got any normal young adult experiences. I’d rather have a roommate, and live as normal as a life as possible if that makes sense.”

A beat of silence fell between the two, until Tom saw Charlie’s chest start to shake in a poor attempt to stifle a giggle.

“Are you… are you laughing right now?” He asked, causing the smallest echo of a laugh to tumble past her lips.

“Sorry, no” she cleared her throat, “No, absolutely not. This isn’t funny at all,” she trailed off. “Though you do have to understand how it sounds though right?”

Tom frowned. “I’m not sure I follow.”

“Oh come on,” Charlie implored. When Tom shook his head again she finally elaborated. “It’s the whole narrative of ‘Oh poor me, I got too famous and now I feel trapped within a gilded cage of success. If only I could be a real boy!’” She shot him puppy dog eyes and an over exaggerated pout. “It’s been done before, that’s all,” she finished with a shrug.

Tom couldn’t conceal his shock at the way this virtual stranger had just spoken to him, and unable to come up with any further justification he simply sighed and shook his head. “You’re a real piece of work aren’t you?” he asked.

“Oh without a doubt,” she replied, nodding her head in agreement. “See,” she threw up her left hand to emphasize her point. “You wouldn’t want to live with me anyways, I’d annoy you to death. Anyways, like I said, busy lady, things to do, et cetera, et cetera.” Charlie tried again to close the door on what was turning out to be one of the strangest interactions she had ever been a part of.

Tom’s hand flew out, stopping the door in its tracks once more. “It’s your turn,” was all he said, dark eyes imploring.

It was Charlie’s turn to be confused, and she relented in her efforts to close the door. “What on Earth are you talking about, Holland.”

“I answered your question, it’s only fair that you answer mine now. Don’t you need the money?”

“I… Well its-” Charlie stammered, wracking her brain to come up with a viable excuse. Because as much as she didn’t want to admit it, he was right. She was desperate to rent this room, but unable to decide whether the pros of renting it to a movie star outweighed the cons.

“I’d be willing to pay double what you’re asking to ensure your…” he trailed off, searching for the correct word. “Your discretion.”

“And deny me my life long dream of being stalked by paparazzi and getting sent death threats by preteens online? I don’t know Holland, that might be a deal breaker.” Her response was quick, the sarcasm a thinly veiled attempt to cover the fact that he had just all but ensured she would let him move in. Not having to worry about rent at all was extremely enticing, and he knew it.

However, Tom’s patience was beginning to run thin. “Are you going to show me the room or not?” he asked again, unable to keep the exasperation from his voice. “Because quite frankly I start filming in two days and I still have nowhere to live, which is something I’d like to fix.”

A heavy silence settled between them as Charlie considered her options. It was an internal battle that raged between her common sense that implored her that nothing good could come of this, and the image of the past due bills that were accumulating on her desk. Eventually her need for money won out, and with a deep sigh she reluctantly pulled the door open wider and stepped back to let him in.

Tom hesitated, shocked by her decision. “Wait really? I didn’t think that would work.”

“You have five seconds to get in here before I change my mind.”

“Right, yea of course.” Tom hurried over the threshold, taking a moment to survey the apartment as Charlie shut the door behind him.

It was fairly spacious and well lit, and Charlie had some really nice vintage furniture but the ambiance was ruined by the stacks of boxes in various stages of unpacking that were scattered around the apartment.

“Did you just move in as well?” he asked, gesturing to the nearest cardboard box which simply had ‘Books’ scrawled across it in black Sharpie.

“Nope.” Charlie replied, moving past him to lean against the arm of the her couch. “I’ve been here nearly a year now I think?”

When she didn’t offer any further explanation, Tom nodded though it was mostly to himself. “Right, when I move in we’ll be unpacking all of these. I don’t want to be tripping over your stuff all the time. Plus, there’s no need for it to look like vagrants live here.”

“I like my vagrant aesthetic, thank you very much.” Charlie replied, folding her arms across her chest with a huff. “And you’re rather confident considering you haven’t even seen the room yet.”

“Only because you haven’t shown it to me.” Tom shot back, raising an eyebrow at her in what could almost be considered a challenge.

An annoyed noise fell from her lips, “I was going to give you a full tour, but I guess if you’re too impatient we can skip that.” Charlie pushed herself up with a small huff, her feet thudding softy on the hardwood floor as she deftly navigated her way through the clutter.

“No, wait, I want the full tour!” Tom cried, attempting to backtrack. He wasn’t particularly keen on agreeing to live in a place where he’d only seen the living room and one of the bedrooms.

“I know,” Charlie called over her shoulder, rounding a corner and disappearing from his view. “I’m giving it to you anyways. Kitchen’s this way.”

Tom shook his head a little, heading to where the blonde girl that he couldn’t quite seem to get a read on had wandered off to. “You really are something else, aren’t you Charlotte?” He mused, chuckling softly.

“It’s Charlie. And I’m one of a kind, or so I’m told,” she responded as he finally entered the kitchen and dining area. He’d begun to understand back in the living room that this was a larger than average apartment for an American university student, but what he was met with now nearly took his breath away. Floor to ceiling windows opened up to a balcony, letting the sunlight flood into the room and basking the cluttered kitchen table in a warm glow. Charlie was leaning against the large island in the kitchen, her elbows resting on the white marble and her chin supported by one of her hands.

“How do you afford a place like this?” Tom asked incredulously as he came to stand opposite her.

Charlie drew her free hand to her chest in mock offense. “Why Mr. Holland, a lady never reveals her secrets.” She had shifted her voice to take on an over exaggerated Southern drawl, causing Tom to shake his head once again.

Silence fell over the pair again, though this time was more comfortable than the last. Tom surveyed the kitchen, taking in his surroundings. As much as he hated to admit it, he was falling in love with the apartment owned by the tiny blonde enigma in front of him. She sat staring at nothing in particular, her face in a perfect mask of nonchalance as her slender fingers tapped along to a phantom beat.

Charlie may have seemed calm and collected on the outside, but internally it felt as though every nerve ending was on fire as everything in her body screamed at her to kick him out of her house, not let him live in it.

“Alright come on, enough time here in the kitchen.” She pushed herself up and walked away, once again not bothering to see if Tom followed. She led him to a long hallway lined with doors, and began a quick tour. “This door on the left here is the guest bathroom, you’ll be able to use it whenever. This is the laundry area,” she said, this time gesturing at the door right beside the first. “The room at the end of the hall is mine, and this,” she paused, standing in front of the lone door on the right side of the hall for a moment before opening it, “this is your room.”

Tom pushed past her, stepping inside the room and broke out into a smile. It was a little on the small side compared to what he had grown used to, but something about the room already felt like home. He spun in a small, slow circle taking in the entire space. The far wall was made of exposed red brick while the rest were stark white, marred only by the two doors on the right side of the room.

“Those lead to your walk in closet and your bathroom.” Charlie offered when she saw where he was looking.

“I love it.” Tom stated when he finally turned back to face her where she leaned against the door frame. “I’ll take it.”

Charlie knew that what she was about to agree to was a terrible idea at best, but her body seemed to be moving on its own accord. With a sigh she pushed herself up and walked to where he was standing in the center of the room. “I’m willing to let you lease it, but I do have a couple ground rules we need to discuss up front.”

“Alright,” Tom agreed without hesitation. “As long as it’s not anything too crazy, I’m game.”

Charlie held up her index finger, and for the first time Tom noticed that her hands were covered in rings. “Rule number one:” she began, snapping him out of his analysis of her accessories. “Never, under any circumstances are you to go into my room. It will be locked when I’m out of the house, but when I’m here and in it, you need to knock and wait for me to come out, alright?”

“Wait, why. Are you a serial killer or something?” Tom asked. “Is that where you keep the bodies of your victims?”

He had meant it teasingly, but if looks could kill the glare Charlie directed at him would have left him dead before he even knew what was happening. Thankfully though, instead it only succeeded in getting him to take her seriously.

“Rule number two:” she raised another finger as she spoke. “No loud noises on weeknights. Weekends are totally fair game, but I need to study during the week.”

Tom nodded in agreement. “That should be fine, yeah” He offered, knowing full well that he’d be too exhausted from filming to do anything most days, even weekends.

“Alright, rule number three, and this is the most important one. You are never ever to tell anyone you don’t trust completely that you’re living here with me. Management, family, and close friends are fine but that’s it. You also need to be careful when you’re coming home, I won’t have you leading hordes of paparazzi and screaming girls to my doorstep, alright?”

“Geez, you seem to have this all prepared, do you live with movie stars often?” Tom asked,a little thrown off by her final request. Most people wouldn’t think to make a point of something like that.

“So help me god if I ever see so much as one asshole with a long range lens within a mile radius of this complex you’ll be moving out before the day is done.” Charlie ignored him, too focused on trying to make him understand just how serious she was about this.

“Alright, so it’s no disturbing your victims, no parties, and no paps, right?”

“I mean it Holland, I won’t stand for that shit.” She didn’t intend to sound as mean as she did, but the sick feeling in her stomach prevented her from keeping the edge out of her voice.

“Hey,” he immediately shifted his tone, realizing that for what ever reason this really did set her off. “I’ve been dodging the paparazzi for a few years now, trust me when I say I don’t want them knowing where I live either. Nobody but the right people will ever know I’m here. Pinky promise.”

He stuck his pinky out between them and Charlie reluctantly took it, unable to keep the smile from breaking through her frown. “Alright then roomie, I’ll go get you a key” Charlie said, getting swept up in Tom’s infectious grin.

“This is gonna be so much fun, I’m a great roommate I promise.”

Charlie knew he meant well, but she also knew the likelihood of this ending in something other than disaster was slim to none. Still, she kept smiling and ignoring the tiny voice in the back of her mind that kept screaming at her to run.

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this is going to be a fun series, i hope ya'll enjoy. i'm shooting to update once or twice a week but who knows.
> 
> each chapter we'll play a game of spot the reference! this chapter only has one - and it's a john mulaney reference!


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